Steam or air engine of the oscillating cylinder type



July 15, 1952 2,603,193

STEAM OR AIR ENGINE OF THE OSCILLATING CYLINDER TYPE H. E. FLORY 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed March 18, 1947 I 1 L L Patented July 15, 1952 This invention relates; to steam or air engines and is particularly applicable' to model o'r miniatur'e stationary I engines, locomotives marine plants; aero engines, or traction engines," of the kind in which 'as a piston is moved to and-fro within-the'cylinder,-the lattenis' oscillated over aport'face provided with suitable ports'to 'aHow the entry and exhaust "of steam to and from the cylinder. A Double acting steam or {air "engines of this character 'have 'in the past suffered-irom the disadvantage that the 'inlet and; exhaust 'po'rts c'an only be arranged to beopenedand} closed 'at the late top and early bottom dead centre "positions and preadmission and cut ofi were not possible.

It is accordingly the object of the present invention to overcome this diificulty-and according to. the invention means are provided for oscillating the" cylinder independently of the con necting rod which is pivotally mounted in' such N'ITE'D; TA T ES PATENT iii-03,153. .JiffiTEAM calm-imam OEYTVHE oscmi Harold ErnestFlory, West WickhampEngland "f Application mam. 1947, Serial No. 135,346

I. j IGreat'Britain March 20, 135 v sfoiaims. (o1 i eis i) F-igure'-3"is an'enlarged side vi'ew'of the engine in diagrammatic-form and showing the advanced p'o'rt 'opening facilities provided; I 4 Referring now to these drawings,--a model steam or air engine is shown having'two pivotally mounted oscillating' cylinders i and IQ-each of which is provided with"'a guide member 2 ,2" for automatically oscillating' the cylinder asthe cranks 3 3' ar'e'rotat'ed in response to the-movemerits of the" piston rods 4', I Th'ese guide 1 members 2, 2' consist 'of Ushaped membersgthe a way as to allow earlyorlate port openings when the piston approaches or leaves the extremity'oi its travel. g

According to the"preferred. arrangein nt the aforesaidmeans comprissa' guide member which extends from the cylinder "and cooperates with member may comprise a pair of parallel arms which extend from the cylinder and are disposed on either side of said actuating member which is eccentrically mounted on the circular crank, whereby rotation of the crank brings about a reciprocating swinging movement of said guide member, in such a manner that a rapid opening and closing of the ports is efiected before the piston reaches the end of its stroke, the connecting rod being pivotally connected to the piston rod by means of a cross-head which is I slidably mounted between said pair of parallel arms.

The invention will be more completely understood from the following detailed description which is given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figures 1 and 2 are plan and side views respectively of a model steam or air engine constructed in accordance with the invention;

open ends of which are fixed to and extend alo ng thelength .of thecylinders I" 'a'nd' take the place ofstuds' to' hold in place the cylinder covers 5, '55, whilethe closed ends of the U pass round a -pair o'f eccentrics fi, '6 on' the cranks 3', 3 Conveniently, the I cranks consist of a pain of wheels"'or discs symmetrically mounted on the crank shaft' 'IZ, the eccentrics taking "the form of circular lugs 'which are secured to the'circular cranks; these circular lugs conveniently takin the form 'of projections ofcylindrical shape on opposite-faces of the circular :cranks 3', 3'. These circular lugs are eccentrically disposed with respect to the cranks .andmaybe arranged to give the desired--port timing by the amount of eccentricity at any position between the periphery of the circular cranks 3, 3 and their centres of rotation, the diameters of the circular lugs 6, B being approximately equal to the distance between the parallel arms of the U-shaped guides 2, 2'.

The end of each piston rod remote from its 7 I piston is rigidly connected to a cross-head 1, 1 which is slidably mounted between the arms of its associated U-shaped guide member, and this cross-head is connected to the circular lug 6, 6 on the appropriate crank 3, 3' by means of a connecting rod 8, B one end of which is pivoted to the cross-head 1, 1', while the other end is eccentrically pivoted to the circular .lug 6, 6, that is to say, it is pivotally secured to the circular lug at a point eccentrically disposed with respect of the centre of the circular lug.

It will be seen that with this arrangement as the pistons I, I reciprocate, so the cross-heads 1, I carry out similar directional reciprocating movements within the guide members 2, 2', and

cause the connecting rods 8, 8' to rotate the cranks 3, 3'. As the cranks rotate, the eccentrically mounted circular lugs 6, 6' move round with them and thus impart a reciprocating swinging movement to the U-shaped guides 2, 2' which causes the pivotally mounted cylinders I, l to oscillate over the faces of the inlet ports 9, 9' and exhaust ports [0, Hi. It will also be seen that inlet and exhaust ports are already nearly fully open.

With this arrangement, a rapid opening, and" closing of the ports will be eifectedduringthe' stroke of the piston, and beforerit'ireachesfthe end of its travel. v

It will be understood that the amount of'oscilsaid port face and the opening and closing of the ports is effected before the piston reaches the end of its stroke.

2. Steam or air engine comprising a cylinder pivotally mounted in front of aport face, a piston having a piston rod connected thereto, slidablymounted within saidcylindena connecting rod pivoted. at one end ..to a cross-head secured to the piston rod and pivoted at the other end to man actuating member eccentrically disposed on a ,circular crank mounted on the engine crankf agg nd a'pairof parallel arms extending 1mm said'cylinder on opposite sides of said actuating member,--whereby as the piston reciprocates the cylinder is oscillated over said port face and the opchinzgand'closing of the ports is effected belation of the cylinder will be determinedbythe position of the lug on the crank, and thatfthe amount of off-set from. dead centre which the connecting rod will assume at the extremity of thepiston's travel, will be determined bythe diameter of the circular lug which forms :the-eccentric and/or by the position on this-lug"; at which the connecting rod is eccentrically pivoted. The; diameter of the circular lug, ,howeven-must inaaddition be determinedgbythe distance apart of the twoarms of the ,guide memberiinorder that, these arms may be continually incontact with the lug so that an eflicientoscil-latin movement of the ,cylinder'is eifected, 1 0181311 3 :1. Steam, or air engine comprising ,axcylinder pivotally' mounted in front of a port face-1a piston [having a piston rod connected thereto, slidably mounted within said cylinder,- :a connecting rodpi-voted at one .end to a- OI'OSSrhBfld secured :to said piston rod an .pivotedat the-other endto a circular lug disposed on the faceiof iarcircular crank anda :pairrof parallel arms extending'trorn said-cylinderzon; opposite :sides of said circular lug," said connecting rod being eccentrically. pivoted to said circular lug; and: said circular. lug being disposed eccentrically' with respect :to,-the

axis of rotation of said crank, wherebyas :thepiston reciprocates said cylinder is oscillated ver fore the piston reaches the end of its stroke.

3.- Steam or air engine comprising a cylinder pivotally mounted in front of a port face, a piston: hav ng a p ton: od conn ted. there o. sl ably mo ted w t n a d y nderr oi rod-p v t d o t eip s o rod and opera ve y connected 7 with the engine 4 crankshaft, :a, guide member extending, from said cyliridg-ir andcn i ith an actua-t me e mounted, on said-crankshaft, one end of said piston rod being pivotally connected to one'end of -said-c onnecting rod, the other end of which is eccentricc lly pivoted to said actuatingmernber whereby as-the p st re p ocates th cylinder s-osc llated ove said port face.-:and the opening and closing. 9! the portals effected beforethepistonremhes:the endofits stroke. p 7 v REFERENCES CITED The following p eferemesare ofrecord in ithe file of ,this'patentz.

UNITED STATES PATENTS "Name 

